Kyrie Irving fouls the Timberwolves Ricky Rubio in the second half of the Cavaliers' game against the Timberwolves Nov. 4 at Quicken Loans Arena. Irving and teammate Dion Waiters addressed the news media on April 7 about rumors of a rift between them. “We’ve had numerous occasions where we’ve been in the media about me and Dion’s relationship. I think me and him are just tired of it," Irving said.

Some observers think it’s the price of being a contender.
If the Cavaliers make a deep playoff run in 2015, no one is going to care they’ll likely have to pay the luxury tax.
They’ll be adding two maximum contracts for the 2015-16 season: LeBron James’ and Kyrie Irving’s.
The Cavs haven’t paid the tax since James was on the team the last time. They’ve paid a total of $43.1 million in tax ($14 million in 2007-08, $13.7 million in 2008-09 and $15.4 million in 2009-10, courtesy of shamsports.com).

Irving’s max contract will kick in for the 2015-16 season. We’re not sure of the exact figure of his max deal, but it could be for as much as 25 percent to 30 percent of the Cavs’ salary cap.
The Cavs will have more than $40 million tied up in James and Irving’s contracts.
Also, the Cavs will probably try to retain center Anderson Varejao, who has one year remaining on his contract.
Varejao and power forward Tristan Thompson have become important pieces to the Cavs. Thompson shares the same agent with James (Rich Paul), and Varejao is one of James’ buddies.
On July 12, James reportedly agreed to a two-year deal that will allow him to renegotiate for a higher salary in 2016.About that plane ...
I’ve never seen such a spectacle as what occurred on Twitter on July 6. WKRK-FM 92.3’s Joe Lull tweeted Cavs owner Dan Gilbert was flying to Miami to meet with James.
Gilbert immediately tweeted he was in his backyard enjoying the beautiful day. That might have been true, too. If it was, he must have broken all speed records driving to the airport, where he hopped on his private jet and flew south.
He admitted he flew to Miami to meet with James on that fateful Sunday, according to a story on Yahoo! Sports. It was vitally important to this entire story since most people thought Heat president Pat Riley was the only front-office executive that met face-to-face with James in the entire free-agent process. Obviously, that wasn’t the case.
Gilbert had some fence mending to do with James after writing the infamous letter in 2010.
“We had five great years together and one terrible night,” Gilbert said he told James.
That started the reconciliation.
“I told him how sorry I was, expressed regret for how that night went and how I let all the emotion and passion for the situation carry me away,” he said. “I told him I wish I had never done it, that I wish I could take it back.”
James quickly told Gilbert he regretted “The Decision.”
It was more comfortable than I actually thought it would be,” Gilbert said. “They made it easy for me.”

Playing time?
It seemed like ex-Cavs swingman Sergey Karasev was on a constant shuttle from Cleveland to Canton last year.
He spent most of his time playing for the D-League Canton Charge.
He's hoping to get a chance with the Brooklyn Nets.
"I hope to get some playing time," he said on July 12 at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Karasev, traded along with guard Jarrett Jack to the Nets this week, was looking forward to playing for Cavs coach David Blatt.
"He's a really good coach and a really good person," he said.
The 6-7, 200-pounder played for Blatt on the Russian National team in the 2012 Olympics.
He was the No. 19 overall pick from Russia in the 2013 draft. He thought he was part of the Cavs' future, but said he knows now it's a business.
Karasev would have loved to play with James.
"His first game in Cleveland is going to be big," he said.Rumor mill
-- The Cavs have reportedly told rookie swingman Andrew Wiggins he’s not being traded, according to ESPN.com. The Timberwolves have asked for Wiggins in trade talks involving Kevin Love. The Cavs will try to get the trade done without using Wiggins, which means they might have to recruit a third team.
-- What was going to be the Cavs’ Plan B?
Utah’s Gordon Hayward was thought to be, but he couldn’t wait for the James’ affair to be over. He signed a four-year, max deal with Charlotte, which the Jazz matched.
Houston’s Chandler Parsons was next in line, but he signed an offer sheet with Dallas. The Rockets traded Jeremy Lin to the Lakers, freeing up enough space to match the offer for Parsons.
If James had said no, the Cavs would have reportedly pursued Washington’s Trevor Ariza. Ariza, who had a solid season for the Wizards, wants at least $10 million or $11 million a season. When teammate Marcin Gortat received $12 million a season, Ariza’s price tag went up. Unfortunately, he’s not worth that much.
-- When James met with Nike officials July 9 in Las Vegas, I heard they outlined his campaign for his expected move to Cleveland. There was so much information floating around at that time, I didn’t know what to believe.
-- If you’re Cavs coach David Blatt, you’ve got to count your blessings. The best player he ever coached in Europe was Anthony Parker. Now, he’ll begin his first year in the NBA coaching one of the best who’s ever played.
-- Paul, James’ agent, has to be credited for pulling off a feat of this magnitude. He worked behind the scenes on this deal, getting Gilbert to finally meet with James. Everyone involved in James’ camp thought Cleveland was the best situation for the Chosen One.
-- According to Forbes, James has earned $450 million in career, $126 million in salaries. The rest came from endorsements. He invested a minority stake in the English soccer club Liverpool.
-- When he signs his contract with the Cavs, he will become the team’s highest-paid player for the first time in his career.
-- The Cavs announced forward Alonzo Gee was headed to New Orleans and not Charlotte as previously reported. There are still rumors the Cavs will end up with center Brendan Haywood. The Pelicans are expected to waive Gee’s $3 million unguaranteed deal. New Orleans is still trying to shed salary to fit in Rockets center Omer Asik under their salary cap. There are rumblings guard Austin Rivers will be sent elsewhere (Charlotte?).
-- The money being spent in free agency is almost frightening. $9 million for Jordan Hill? What are the Lakers thinking?
-- The Cavs will receive the Heat’s first-round pick in 2015. It’s top-10 protected, but the Heat might make enough moves in free agency to sneak into the playoffs next year. The draft pick was part of the sign-and-trade for James in 2010.

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About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.